The city police have again cancelled a stand-up comedy show by comic Munawar Faruqui, scheduled to be held on Friday at a convention hall in J.P. Nagar.
The police cancelled the show following a complaint filed by a hitherto unknown Hindutva organisation called Jai Sri Ram Sena Sanghatan to the City Police Commissioner alleging the show “Dongri to Nowhere” would hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.
However, making no reference to the complaint, P. Krishnakant, DCP, South Division, told reporters that the event was organised without taking any permission and hence it was cancelled.
It was an indoor programme announced online on ticket booking platforms, for which the police permission is usually not sought.
In a similar vein, the Ashok Nagar Police cancelled his show in the city in November 2021, pushing the comic over the edge.
He had then declared: “ Nafrat jeet gayi, artist haar gaya . I’m done, goodbye. Injustice”, taking many by shock.
The city police’s move had drawn flak of many from the city, especially those from the stand-up comic community. However, he made a comeback to the stage later.
Mr. Faruqui was arrested in January 2021 from a cafe in Indore over an alleged joke that would hurt Hindu religious sentiments, even before the show began and Hindutva organisations have been carrying on a relentless campaign against the comic since then, disrupting his shows across the country.
Meanwhile, Mr. Faruqui took to social media on Friday and said the show in Bengaluru was postponed to next Friday as he missed the flight owing to health issues.
